How to use pictures-in-picture mode on WhatsApp

This feature allows users to play YouTube, Facebook and Instagram right within the application in picture-in-picture mode.

When the play icon is tapped, the application shows the video in picture-in-picture mode, so the user can continue to scroll up and down in the chat while the video is being played.

The picture-in-picture will disappear when the user switches to another chat.

This Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode feature will be introduced in phases, and will be available globally in the next few weeks. For those considering to use the PiP mode through WhatsApp Web, here’s what you need to do.

How to use picture-in-picture mode on WhatsApp?

Check for the latest version of WhatsApp Web: Before considering using the feature, WhatsApp Web users should check the version of the desktop platform in use. The report claims that PiP mode has been introduced in WhatsApp Web version 0.3.1846. T

his can be manually checked by going through WhatsApp Web > Settings > Help. Since the rollout is in phases, the mode might not show up immediately.

Send/receive videos to contacts/groups: After verifying the desktop version of WhatsApp, users can consider sending videos to their chats, or receive video links. This can be checked by scrolling up/down onto a shared video, and checking if it plays automatically.

This can be seen over the right half of the chat screen, where a pop-up of the video begins to play out, alongside audio. Through the same, users can use the timeline bar to pan backward or forward, and even watch the playback on mute.

Currently, WhatsApp Web appears to feature PiP mode for videos shared through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Streamable. In the weeks to come, more video services could be introduced, though the same would only be confirmed by an official blogpost or update.